What a struggle it must have been for Meryl Streep, trained in real life to sing opera, to sing really, really badly as the eponymous real life woman (1868 to 1944) who had no idea she could not carry a tune. Jenkins was protected (from many things, but especially from the truth about her lack of musical talent) by her husband (well played by Hugh Grant) and others. But given that Jenkins was committed to performing at Carnegie Hall — which she in fact did — you can only imagine what resulted from that desire. Streep appears like she’s having the time of her life in this role and she is, as usual, delightful to watch and to listen to (even when her singing could drive you batty). A relatively light film but a good dose of fun.
